First US case of deadly MERS virus found in Indiana man

10:20 PM,
May 2, 2014

This file photo provided by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a colorized transmission of the MERS coronavirus that emerged in 2012. Health officials on May 2, 2014 said the deadly virus from the Middle East has turned up for the first time in the U.S.

Written by

Karen Weintraub and Doug Stanglin
USA TODAY

A deadly virus from the Middle East that causes severe acute respiratory illness has turned up in Indiana in the first known case in the United States. The man fell ill after arriving in the U.S. about a week ago from Saudi Arabia, where he is a health care worker.

The virus - known as MERS, short for Middle East respiratory syndrome - first surfaced two years ago. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed cases in 401 people in 12 countries, 93 of whom have died. Saudi Arabia has been hit hardest with 322 cases and 68 deaths.